The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a plurality of semiconductor devices, e.g., MOS and CMOS transistors and integrated circuits containing such transistors, on a common semiconductor substrate, with improved processing methodology resulting in increased reliability and quality, increased manufacturing throughput, and reduced fabrication cost. The present invention has particular applicability in fabricating high-density integration semiconductor devices with design features below about 0.18 xcexcm, e.g., about 0.15 xcexcm and under.
The escalating requirements for high density and performance associated with ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI) semiconductor devices require design features of 0.18 xcexcm and below, such as 0.15 xcexcm and below, increased transistor and circuit speeds, high reliability, and increased manufacturing throughput for economic competitiveness. The reduction of design features to 0.18 xcexcm and below challenges the limitations of conventional semiconductor manufacturing techniques.
A conventional approach for forming a plurality of active devices in or on a common semiconductor substrate, e.g., as in the case of forming CMOS devices comprising PMOS and NMOS transistors in spaced adjacency, involves division of a starting material, i.e., a semiconductor substrate of suitable characteristics, into active regions where the transistors are to be formed, and field dielectric regions that electrically isolate adjacent active regions.
According to current technology, the starting material may comprise a lightly-doped p-type epitaxial layer (xe2x80x9cepixe2x80x9d layer) grown on a heavily-doped p-type substrate. The low resistance of the heavily doped substrate is needed to minimize susceptibility to latch-up; whereas the light doping of the epi layer permits independent tailoring of the doping profiles of both the p- and n-wells formed therein as part of the fabrication sequence, thereby resulting in optimal PMOS and NMOS transistor performance.
The use of very thin epi layers, i.e., about 4 xcexcm thick, is made possible by performing the isolation processing by means of shallow trench isolation (STI) techniques rather by high temperature local oxidation of silicon (xe2x80x9cLOCOSxe2x80x9d). The former technique advantageously minimizes up-diffusion of p-type dopant from the more heavily-doped substrate into the lightly-doped epi layer. In addition, and critical for fabrication of devices with a design rule of 0.25 xcexcm and below. STI allows for closer spacing of adjacent active areas by avoiding the xe2x80x9cbird""s beakxe2x80x9d formed at the edge of each LOCOS isolation structure. STI also provides better isolation by creating a more abrupt structure, reduces the vertical step from the active area to isolation to improve gate lithography control, eliminates the high temperature field oxidation step that can cause problems with large diameter, i.e., 8 inch, wafers, and is scalable to future logic technology generations.
Conventional STI methodology comprises initially forming a nitride masking layer over the surface of the substrate to differentiate the active (i.e., source/drain) regions and the field (i.e., isolation) regions, with a thin barrier oxide layer preliminarily formed beneath the nitride layer for relieving stress during oxidation. After nitride layer formation, a source/drain mask is utilized for defining the active areas in a resist layer formed over the nitride layer. After masking, the nitride layer is etched away from the field (isolation) areas while the resist protects the active areas. The STI process continues the source/drain etch through the nitride and barrier oxide layers into the underlying silicon; whereas, in conventional LOCOS processing, etching is stopped at the barrier oxide layer. After a trench of a desired depth is etched into the silicon, the source/drain resist mask is removed, and a thin liner oxide layer is formed as to round the top and bottom comers of the trench to prevent gate oxide reliability problems and improve subsequent trench fill. Next, a thick oxide layer is deposited which fills the active regions and covers the nitride layer over each active region. The thick oxide layer is then planarized to remove all the oxide over the active regions leaving the isolation trenches filled with oxide. The nitride is then stripped off the active regions.
Following division of the substrate, typically a silicon wafer, into active and isolation regions, the wafer is further subdivided into n-well and p-well regions in which the p- and n-channel transistors, respectively, will be formed. In a true xe2x80x9ctwin-tubxe2x80x9d process both the n- and p-wells are implanted, rather than leaving the p-type epi layer untouched as the p-well. Consequently, each well profile can be independently tailored in the lightly-doped epi layer to optimize n- and p-channel transistor performance. Well doping is kept sufficiently low such that body effect (gamma) and source/drain-to-substrate capacitance do not degrade the transistors, but high enough such that off-state leakage current due to source-to-drain punch-through does not limit the minimum geometry transistors.
Typically, a retrograde-structured n-well is initially formed, by dopant implantation (e.g., phosphorus ions) at a sufficiently high energy to place the impurity concentration peak deep in the (silicon) substrate, while covering the p-well areas with resist. After stripping the resist and a rapid, low-temperature furnace anneal to activate the dopant, the n-well areas are masked with resist for performing the n-channel field implant. The n-channel field implant, typically boron ions, is implanted sufficiently deep to also serve as the p-well implant and increases the threshold of the n-channel transistors to improve isolation between adjacent active areas within the p-well. The process continues with a series of additional implants for setting the threshold (i.e., turn-on) voltage of each of the n- and p-channel transistors, gate formation, and transistor source/drain, source/drain extension implants, including post-implantation annealing, e.g., rapid thermal annealing (RTA) for implant activation and lattice damage relaxation.
While the above-described STI technology is considerably more amenable to fabrication of devices with a design rule of 0.18 xcexcm and below than LOCOS methodology, the close proximity of the n- and p-wells in the vicinity of the narrow trench is problematic in terms of an increased likelihood of lateral interdiffusion of dopant impurities between the oppositely doped wells. particularly diffusion of boron dopant from the p-type well to the n-type well in the case of silicon, resulting in counterdoping of at least the proximal portions of adjacent wells. Moreover, notwithstanding the use of RTA rather than high temperature furnace-type post-implantation annealing for minimizing such dopant diffusion/interdiffusion, the extent of lateral dopant diffusion/interdiffusion and attendant deleterious effects can be significant, disadvantageously resulting in counterdoping of adjacent wells, reduction of isolation between adjacent active device regions, and degradation of other device characteristics.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved semiconductor methodology for fabricating MOS and CMOS transistors and integrated circuit devices comprising a plurality of such transistors which does not suffer from the above-described drawbacks associated with the conventional methodology. There exists a need for an improved MOS/CMOS fabrication process fully compatible with conventional process flow which provides increased manufacturing throughput and product yield.
The present invention fully addresses and solves the above-mentioned problems and drawbacks attendant upon conventional processing for forming submicron-dimensioned MOS and CMOS transistors for use in high-density semiconductor integrated circuit devices. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, prior to filling of the isolation trench or groove with a dielectric material, e.g., an oxide, a diffusion-inhibiting species is introduced into the surface of the semiconductor substrate exposed at the bottom of the trench or groove for preventing or substantially reducing lateral interdiffusion of dopant impurities from subsequently formed adjacent, oppositely doped well regions each having a terminus in the vicinity of the trench or groove. The diffusion-inhibiting species is preferably selectively introduced via ion implantation of nitrogen, carbon, or fluorine ions, with the previously formed resist layer in place for acting as a masking material. The implanted region below the surface of the trench bottom advantageously functions as a wall or barrier effectively preventing lateral diffusion of dopant, particularly boron p-type dopant from the p-well to the adjacent phosphorus-doped n-type well.
An advantage of the present invention is an improved method for manufacturing submicron-dimensioned MOS/CMOS transistors in or on a common semiconductor substrate and integrated circuit semiconductor devices comprising same.
Another advantage of the present invention is an improved method for forming MOS/CMOS semiconductor devices formed in or on a common semiconductor substrate and utilizing shallow trench isolation.
Still another advantage of the present invention is an improved method for manufacturing silicon-based MOS/CMOS transistor devices in or on a common substrate, with no or substantially reduced diffusion of boron dopant impurities from a p-type well region into an adjacent n-type well region.
A further advantage of the present invention is a silicon-based MOS/CMOS transistor device utilizing shallow trench isolation and having no or substantially reduced diffusion of boron dopant impurities from a p-type well region into an adjacent n-type well region.
Additional advantages and other features of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the instant invention. The advantages of the present invention may be realized and obtained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the foregoing and other advantages are achieved in part by a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which method comprises the sequential steps of:
(a) providing a semiconductor substrate having upper and lower major surfaces;
(b) forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) groove in the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, the groove having first and second opposed, vertically extending sidewalls spaced apart a preselected distance and a bottom surface at a preselected depth below the upper major surface;
(c) selectively introducing a diffusion inhibiting species into the substrate at the bottom surface of the STI groove for preventing or substantially reducing lateral interdiffusion of dopant impurities from subsequently formed well regions of opposite conductivity type;
(d) forming in the substrate a first conductivity type first well region including first conductivity type dopant impurities, the first well region having a terminus at one of the first and second sidewalls or at the bottom surface of the STI groove and laterally extending therefrom in a first direction; and
(e) forming in the substrate a second conductivity type second well region including second conductivity type dopant impurities, the second well region being spaced apart from the first well region, having a terminus at the other one of the first and second sidewalls or at the bottom surface of the STI groove, and laterally extending therefrom in a second direction, wherein lateral diffusion of the dopant impurities from the first well region into the second well region, and vice versa, is substantially reduced or prevented due to the selective introduction of the dopant diffusion inhibiting species into the bottom surface of the STI groove.
In embodiments according to the invention, steps (d) and (e) collectively comprise forming one of the first and second wells as a p-type well comprising p-type dopant impurities and the other of the first and second wells as an n-type well comprising n-type dopant impurities, wherein steps (d) and (e) each comprise selectively introducing respective dopant impurities into the upper major surface of the substrate by diffusion or ion implantation; step (c) comprises selectively introducing the diffusion inhibiting species into the bottom surface of the STI groove by ion implantation, comprising selectively implanting boron diffusion inhibiting ions selected from nitrogen, carbon, and fluorine ions at a preselected dosage ions/cm2 and an energy of from about 2 KeV to greater than about 100 KeV; step (d) or step (e) comprise forming the p-type well-region by selectively introducing boron dopant impurities into a portion of the upper major surface of the substrate; step (a) comprises providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a doped silicon wafer of one conductivity type or a doped silicon substrate of one conductivity type having a doped epitaxial silicon layer of the one conductivity type formed on the upper major surface thereof; and step (b) comprises forming an STI groove having spaced-apart, opposed, vertically extending sidewalls and a bottom surface at a preselected depth below the upper major surface of the substrate.
Embodiments according to the present invention comprise the further steps of filling the implanted STI groove of step (c) with a dielectric material prior to performing step (d), and the further steps of (f) forming a PMOS transistor in the n-type well, and (g) forming an NMOS transistor in the p-type well.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a silicon-based CMOS transistor comprises the sequential steps of:
(a) providing a silicon semiconductor substrate having upper and lower major surfaces;
(b) forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) groove in the upper major surface of the silicon substrate, the groove having first and second opposed, vertically extending sidewalls spaced apart a preselected distance and a bottom surface at a preselected depth below the upper major surface;
(c) selectively introducing a dopant diffusion inhibiting species into the substrate at the bottom surface of the STI groove for preventing or substantially reducing lateral inter-diffusion of dopant impurities between subsequently formed well regions of opposite conductivity type;
(d) filling the thus-implanted STI groove with a dielectric material;
(e) forming in the substrate a p-type conductivity first well region comprising p-type dopant impurities, the first well region having a terminus at the first sidewall or at the bottom surface of the STI groove and laterally extending therefrom in a first direction;
(f) forming in the substrate an n-type conductivity second well region comprising n-type dopant impurities, the second well region having a terminus at the second sidewall or at the bottom surface of the STI groove and laterally extending therefrom in a second direction;
(g) forming an NMOS transistor in the p-type first well region; and
(h) forming an NMOS transistor in the n-type second well region, wherein lateral diffusion of the dopant impurities from the first well region into the second well region, and vice versa, is substantially reduced or prevented due to the selective introduction of the dopant diffusion inhibiting species into the bottom surface of the STI groove.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, improved submicron-dimensioned silicon-based MOS and/or CMOS transistor devices made according to the method of the above-mentioned steps (a)-(h) and having reduced lateral interdiffusion of dopant impurities between adjacent well regions, are provided.
Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein only the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the method of the present invention. As will be described, the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are susceptible of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawing and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as limitative.